Thursday, July 19, 2007

Emmy nominations 2007

The Emmy nominations are out. Since most of them were leaked two weeks ago there weren’t many huge surprises. As expected, STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP got the most nominations in history. Well… in Aaron Sorkin’s world. But for the rest of us here on earth….

THE SOPRANOS was nominated for everything including best cartoon. Here’s what I hope happens. David Chase wins, goes up to the podium, starts to speak, and the screen just goes black.

In the drama category I was happy that HOUSE finally was recognized, and since I know the producers of BOSTON LEGAL I was thrilled they got a nod. Not that any of them have a chance against THE SOPRANOS. But three of my favorite dramas didn’t make the cut. LOST, DEXTER, and THE SHIELD. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS was a surprise snub but I contend the way they shoot that show, with the jiggling camera, is annoying and when academy members hurl their lunch they tend not to vote for you.

The academy got it right by not nominating last year’s winner, 24. They had a horrible season and unfortunately many voters live in Valencia and resent being nuked and incinerated.

I didn’t realize they still had a Best Comedy category but apparently they do and 30 ROCK and UGLY BETTY were the new darlings. George Lopez must be saying, “how could they nominate THE OFFICE instead of me?” I think ENTOURAGE is going to sneak in and win.

Interesting that DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES was ignored. And to make matters worse, Felicity Huffman did get a nomination. I’m sure those other women are going to be real fun to be around the next few weeks. Teri Hatcher-induced heart attacks should reduce the crew by seventeen.

Hugh Laurie finally got a Best Actor nomination. Hooray! It’ll be a two-man race between him and James Gandolfini. Michael C. Hall as DEXTER deserved a nod. He made a serial killer seem more sympathetic than any of our current elected officials. Missing was Eddie Izzard. If he played his character in a dress he could have gotten a best actress nod.

Patricia Arquette got nominated again for Best Actress. And so did Debra Messing. Even if they slept with every voter twice I still can't fathom why they got those nods. Oh, add Sandra Oh to that list.If there’s one lock it’s Alec Baldwin for 30 ROCK. If he’s not there I’d love his daughter to accept the award for him. America Ferrara will take home the comedy gold for the leading ladies. It’s not easy playing ugly when you’re pretty.

Kevin Dillon, Jeremy Piven, Neil Patrick Harris? Too tough to call for best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Dillon isn’t really stupid, Piven isn’t really an asshole, and Harris isn’t really straight. All three deserve the hardware.And no one deserves an Emmy more than Jenna Fischer.

38 comments
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Ken, I echo (or it is 'eko'? what an awful pun) your disappointment about the Lost snub. The negative buzz early in the season must've sunk it, since the last half of the season was just phenomenal. At least Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn got recognized, though on a show like Lost, you could've easily picked out 4-5 more people who deserved acting nods.

Still not sure why Housewives is considered a comedy and Boston Legal is considered a drama. I must be one of the last Housewives fans left, since I thought the show had a nice rebound season and could've notched a few more nominations. Especially since their submitted episode ("Bang," written by your old Frasier pal Joe Keenan) was one of the best single episodes of any show I saw all year.

If Hugh Laurie doesn't win this year, I might finally decide that the Emmys are just a meaningless, backscratching popularity contest. Would've been nice to see the supporting cast and writers of "House" get more recognition, too. And how come Michael Urie of "Ugly Betty" was snubbed while "2-1/2 Men" was nominated for everything under the sun? I could see it if they had a category for "Most Dick Jokes in Half an Hour." Did Charlie Sheen personally provide hookers dressed as cheerleaders to all the Emmy nominators?

BTW, I am with you on the shaky cameras on "Friday Night Lights." By all rights, I should be watching that religiously: I actually grew up in a small, football-obsessed Texas town, and I am friends with several of the supporting cast members. Yet I tried watching it once and couldn't last 15 minutes. It was like watching something filmed with a Gnat-Cam. I haven't had such eyestrain since I saw Woody Allen's "Husbands & Wives." Buy a tripod, for Christ's sake!

Oh well, at least they've finally figured out how to win over conservative, small town, middle-American viewers: they want to cast their favorite celebrity, Rosie O'Donnell, as an angry, frustrated girls' PE coach. Hope that's not too much of an acting stretch for her.

I enjoyed Friday Night Lights for the writing and the acting. I think it was well written adn well done considering the competition in the Weds at 8pm. I adore Hugh Laurie and I'd love to see him and the show win. I disliked the Tritter storyline but David Morse is a great actor. Not as good as Hugh, but then, who is?

It is hard to play ugly when you're prtty, but it's much harder to play pretty when you're homely. (See Sandra Oh above.)

A very close friend of mine was Jeremy Piven's stand-in for a season back on ELLEN. He has nothing bad to say about him. Put his vote in the "Not an asshole" column, although his actually having worked with him for a year is hardly as airtight as "When I saw Piven on SNL this year, I got the distinct impression the cast wasn't real thrilled with him." so I stand corrected.

Did you read where they scrapped the whole season's storyline and all scripts for next year's 24 about two weeks ago, and are scrambling to get a new story written before they have to start shooting? I think that shark is fully jumped.

I could not believe, on the one episode of Eddie Izzard's series that I managed to sit through (How is it getting all the critical praise? It's terrible.) that they had a cross-dressing character, and it WASN'T Eddie's role! Hello? But then, this is a show where two Brits are cast as American Southern White Trash, so clearly they have no concept of how to cast.

I got the impression that the nominations for 2 AND A HALF MEN were ALL catagory filler-outers. The real problem is that there aren't enough good comedies on the air to fill out any catagory.

Patricia ARQUETTE???!!! Seriously? She delivers every single line as though she's:

1. on the verge of tears (croaking whisper)2. on the verge of crying (croaking whisper)3. not getting anyone to understand why her dream means someone needs to get arrested (restrained yelling)4. not getting anyone to understand that she was wrong the first time, and it's someone else who needs to get arrested (restrained yelling)

It's so bad, and I can't stop watching it. I always want to ask her coworkers what it's like to have to read lines opposite her. It must be some kind of torture.

I just took a read of the FULL list of nominations. (There are 6057 of them, more than a third them Choreographers.)

If Debra Messing being nominated wasn't weird enough, she's up against Helen Mirrin and Gina Rowlands! Debra, you might as well stay home. Why hasn't someone cast these three giants together in something?

PIRATE MASTER is NOT nominated for Best Reality Competition? Aarrrgggh! It sucks so amazingly well.

I am also disappointed at the lack of quality nominations for Dexter, Lost and Friday Night Lights. I will never understand Boston Legal over Lost for Best Drama, nor can I comprehend Spader over Kyle Chandler or Matthew Fox for Best Actor in a Drama Series.

How many nominations did Rome receive? It is the best drama ever written, filmed and acted. Did Polly Walker get a nod? Or Ray Stevenson? How about James Purefoy? And as bad as the Sopranos sucked this last season, it still got nominations galore. These nominations, along with the entire reality show genre, prove once again: people have no taste.

Hey, you can learn a lot about people watching SNL. Or is it you can learn a lot about people who watch SNL. Honestly though, there seemed to be some tension in the room when he was hosting beyond the fact that the show wasn't getting many laughs. I've never met Piven, never will. He's John Cusack's good friend, so I can believe he's a good guy (based on my viewing of Cusack's SNL episode).

I thought it was politically correct to criticize how Sandra Oh looks. Sandra looks like she sprouted from the womb half formed.

I've never understood all the hate for "Two and a Half Men." My taste in comedies is on the "Office", "Frasier", "Cheers" (Diane years, especially), "Arrested Development", "Simpsons" (first 8 years) side, and no, it's not in that category. It's a much broader show. But I think Sheen, Cryer, and the rest of the cast are doing great work with sharp material. It's funny, but it's just not subtle stuff. It's leagues ahead of "According to Jim" or "George Lopez". It deserves every nomination it got. Although how Sheen is a lead and Cryer is a supporting actor I'll never understand. The show wouldn't work without both of them. Sheen needs someone to play off of.

I can't understand why "My Name is Earl" doesn't qualify as Best Comedy series. Its funny, unpredictable, and the paralyzing, sneering cynicism of this modern age is constantly undermined and subverted a gentleness and heart rarely glimpsed on television.

d mcewan must have only watched the pilot of The Riches...it got better. And the reason Eddie Izzard didn't get a nom was not because he didn't slip into a dress, it was because he kept slipping out of his American accent. That also improved as the season went on.

As long as media snobs who insist on seeing actors as one-note (yes Brits can play American white trash, just as gay can play straight and pretty can play homely, etc., etc., etc. --- it's called acting) will allow themselves to consider him outside the cross-dressing box, he may have a chance next year.

Dunno if Jeremy Piven is an asshole or not, but he owes me his life. Several years ago, he dashed in front of my car while crossing a street in Santa Monica, and only my quick reflexes kept him from becoming one with the asphalt.

Agree with jerry about My Name is Earl, even if it did have a couple of dud episodes this season. Glad Jaime Pressley picked up another nod, but where's Ethan Suplee? He's one of the great prime time dimwits, if not quite up there with Coach and Woody.

I like Boston Legal. Even though it's always been uneven, this was a particularly strong season for them. Spader and Shatner are gold together, and Christian Clemenson matches them as "Hands" Espenson. He's the one unfamiliar name in the Guest Actor category, but I believe he's won it before.

I predicted the Isaiah Washington controversy would land T. R. Knight his first nomination, even though his Grey's character, like every other character on the show this season, has become dull, unlikeable or both. Heigl should have been nominated last season for her Denny arc. This year, she was just annoying (loved her in Knocked Up though).

Agree with mark p. that Desperate Housewives had a solid season, but Emmy clearly fell out of love with it after season one. Second year in a row that only Huffman has been nominated among the leads.

Good to hear BSG got some nods, though James Callis should be up for best supporting actor, seeing as how he manages to play a crazy, messianic genocidal person form outer space who is in love with a robot and still be a sympathetic character.

Why does Letterman keep getting nods? His show stopped being award-worthy eons ago. True, Jay's stuff is often like a chain restaurant... huge mediocre portions... but some of his bits are funnier than Letterman's. Letterman's "this isn't funny, and isn't that funny" schtick grew tired pre-bypass. He's still the more consummate broadcaster than Jay, and his interviews hark back more to Johnny.

"I thought it was politically correct to criticize how Sandra Oh looks. Sandra looks like she sprouted from the womb half formed."

Crutnacker, I'm guessing you didn't notice you omitted the "in" from "incorrect" until after you posted. I do that all the time. But your description of Miss Oh would right be on the nose if she had a nose. She's the only actress I've ever seen who needs a reverse nose job; she needs one added to her flat, blank face. MAybe this season she'll cheer up no longer having to play being in love with Isaiah Washington. (Good riddence to bad rubbish.)

"How many nominations did Rome receive?" I didn't count them, but actually it got quite a lot of nominations.

"d mcewan must have only watched the pilot of The Riches...it got better."

Mary, you are right. I watched the first episode, and when the second one came around, I taped it, and could not muster the desire to ever watch it, and taped over it. I'll take your word for it having improved. A friend of mine, also a big Eddie Izzard fan, asked me to tape the first one for him, as he doesn't get the station, and after the first episode he said, "Don't bother with next week's." Also some friends of mine in New York who were looking forward to it (And who went to see Eddie in JOE EGG on Broadway and raved about how great he was in it) emailed me after the first episode of THE RICHES that they wouldn't be bothering to tune in again either. In fact I don't know anyone personally who watched it past the pilot.

"the reason Eddie Izzard didn't get a nom was not because he didn't slip into a dress" Did anyone suggest that was the real reason? Ken joked about it costing him "Best Actress" and I didn't even suggest it.

"As long as media snobs who insist on seeing actors as one-note (yes Brits can play American white trash, just as gay can play straight and pretty can play homely, etc., etc., etc. --- it's called acting) will allow themselves to consider him outside the cross-dressing box, he may have a chance next year"

Mary, I am a HUGE Eddie Izzard fan. I have all his stand-up DVDs. I have his CDs. I've met him. I have a picture of us together on my living room wall. I've been to see him perform live from the front row. I've seen all his movies, even his unfotunate non-role as Sir Sean Connery's henchman in the Godawful THE AVENGERS. I was looking forward to THE RICHES, and I hated it. I know he is a fine actor, beyond his gratuitous frocks, but there is still such a thing as miscasting, and THE RICHES is a mind-boggling example of miscasting.

And I know that some Brits can play Americans (Peter Sellers in LOLITA & DR. STRANGELOVE, both English movies.). I also know that there exist LOTS of American actors who could have played THE RICHES and been far more believable than Minnie & Eddie. We need Brits coming over here and taking work from American actors? MY NAME IS EARL can't employ all of them, you know. Ever seen a British series, made in Britain, with two Americans playing Brits? Me neither.

I see there's a Best Song catagory this year (!), and that MY DICK IN A BOX is nominated! (And about 8 people are nominated for writing it.) Oh I so hope they perform it on the show, and that it wins. I'd love to see Celine Dion sing it.

"I've never understood all the hate for 'Two and a Half Men'."

Not hate, just noting that it's hardly Emmy-worthy, particularly with MY NAME IS EARL omitted. You can be a LOT better than ACCORDING TO JIM without reaching Emmy levels. Pheonix is closer to New York City than Los Angeles is, but that doesn't mean it's in New York State.

LIVE FROM STUDIO 60 got a directing nomination. Don't bet the rent on it winning.

Jeremy Piven, by many accounts, has gotten a large head since "Entourage" became a, ahem, "hit". Note his falling out with longtime friend, John Cusack, and his silly feud with Stephen Dorff. He may have been perfectly fine on "Ellen", but has gotten full of himself since then. He sure as hell comes off poorly on talk shows.

As for Jay Leno - yes, he's not the broadcaster than Letterman is, but he's gotten a lot more crap than he's deserved over the years. People completely wrote him off when Letterman premiered, and yet here he is 14 years later, in first place. He does have some funny bits. Sure, a lot of it is mediocre, but I blame NBC as much as Leno. And wait until Conan takes over and the ratings decrease by 50%; NBC will sure as hell miss Leno then.

bijfuzI knew Jay Leno fairly well 27 years ago, and he was a really nice guy then; sweet, smart and very generous. (Letterman was also very generous, always the first to pull cash from his own pocket when someone needed money.) Jay was also considered the stand-up's stand-up, one of the sharpest, funniest men on the Comedy Store stage. He also hated football, and you were NOT allowed to turn a football game on in his home.

Nowadays, as a comic, he's been pandering for a decade and a half to the lowest-common demographic, doing comedy for the stupid, which is why his ratings are so high. (The dumb outnumber the smart. Somehow his "Jaywalking" morons are flattered by having their vacuity pointed out on national TV.) He's become, at least on air, a tireless sports buff, and he's bent over backwards to install Ahnold in the California Governor's mansion, a sin he still has to awnser for, though it shows the lie of his pretence of non-partisan fairness. (Letterman doesn't pretend non-partisan fairness. He's out to get Bush, and may he please succeed.) I don't know what Jay's like as a person anymore, but if he's as transformed offstage as he is on, then he's become Voldemort.

His political humor has become rooted in the most-common public perceptions: Bush is dumb, Bill Clinton chases skirt, Hilary is a ball-breaker. It's thr far-opposite end from Jon Stewart's insightful political humor. Jay has become predictable and tiresome.

I catch one Leno monologue a week, Mondays, because HEADLINES remains funny. The rest of the time I watch Letterman, who still amuses me daily. I can't take Jimmy Kimmel, as I am unable to rub the stain of THE MAN SHOW from my mind. Conan is terrific on the rare days that I'm still watching network after Letterman. Actually, I tend to switch Letterman off when the first guest comes out unless it's someone I really love, and slip in a DVD, as I've had enough chatter by then. I overdosed on celebrity interviews a long, long time ago.

Just to add... It really should be Colbert's year because The Colbert Report has been constantly funny all year. The Daily Show is still good, but it has had more ups and downs in the last year since Ben Karlin left.

The Wire didn't get any nominations because it is full of black people who aren't Morgan Freeman, and the story arcs over an entire season. It is the best show on television and no nominations means they aren't paying attention.

A friend just sent me your site/blog. Guess he figured we'd be simpatico. From what I've seen so far, he's right. You taste barometer is on, open to a variety of tones and approaches, as long as they are smart and unforced. To which I say, yay.

Few things, random and less so. One, I went to high school with Nancy Travis's brother, Gordon. Or, as we called him in Chatham, Flash, for reasons both athletic and semi-perverse. Two, I am a Larry Gelbart fanatic - "Tootsie" is sublimely written - were you there during his M*A*S*H tenure? Always wondered what Gelbart is like. (Side note: Have no comparison to the original Hooker solo duo but they were always a guilty pleasure when I was a kid) Third, do you watch "The Wire"? Judging by what you like, you'll love it. It has no equal. And lastly, have you seen these new Christopher Guest videos? My tech geek friend just sent them to me. The guy can make anything work, it seems...

About KEN LEVINE

Named one of the BEST 25 BLOGS by TIME Magazine. Ken Levine is an Emmy winning writer/director/producer/major league baseball announcer. In a career that has spanned over 30 years Ken has worked on MASH, CHEERS, FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS, WINGS, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, BECKER, DHARMA & GREG, and has co-created three series. He and his partner wrote the feature VOLUNTEERS. Ken has also been the radio/TV play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres. and Dodger Talk. He hosts the podcast HOLLYWOOD & LEVINE

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